Hezbollah’s Response to the Oct. 7 Attacks (video, 2:52)
Compiled by Aidan New
Hezbollah and Hamas have significant ideological and religious differences, but they are united in the goal of destroying Israel and in their alliance with Iran. Before Hamas’ attacks on October 7th, the two terrorist organizations had significant coordination, although Hamas did not warn Hezbollah what it planned for that day. Since October 8th, Hezbollah has continued to bombard northern Israel to support Hamas despite the danger to the people of Lebanon, and the Hamas-Hezbollah alliance against Israel continues to strengthen.
Hamas and Hezbollah Formulated the Oct. 7 Plan Together
Hezbollah created the road map for an invasion of Israel and provided Hamas with strategic support. For years, many believed that any invasion into Israel would come from Lebanon. This assumption stemmed from Hezbollah’s dominance in southern Lebanon, a long history of conflicts with Israel and an immense arsenal.
- Hezbollah wrote the plan that Hamas executed: https://israel-alma.org/2024/01/29/hezbollah-wrote-the-plan-that-hamas-executed
- They have collaborated since Oct. 7: https://www.politico.eu/article/hamas-say-closely-coordinate-war-next-move-hezbollah-lebanon
- Arab reactions to the Hamas-Israel war: https://israeled.org/moshe-dayan-center-the-struggle-for-stability-arab-reactions-to-the-hamas-israel-war-eight-essays-with-permission-from-mdc-march-2024
Hezbollah Was Caught Off-Guard
Hezbollah was upset that it did not receive any communication from Hamas regarding the attacks before October 7th. Although this lack of communication strained their relationship, Hezbollah and Hamas remain committed to their common goal of the destruction of Israel.
- Nasrallah didn’t know: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-02/card/hezbollah-chief-says-he-didn-t-know-about-hamas-attacks-in-advance-631uhOj6FJRjFCKcrjWC
- Hezbollah wasn’t ready for war: https://israeled.org/2024-hanin-ghaddar-reinforcing-u-s-diplomacy-to-stop-a-hezbollah-israel-war-washington-institute-for-near-east-policy/
Hezbollah Is Significantly Stronger Than Hamas
The military capabilities of Hezbollah far exceed those of Hamas, making the prospects of a similar invasion by Hezbollah significantly more threatening and likely to result in far more Israeli casualties.
- Hezbollah’s arsenal: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanons-hezbollah-what-weapons-does-it-have-2023-10-30
- Israel vs. Hezbollah in military capabilities: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-weapons-airstrikes-b34c4717671599c293fc359f848b5651
- The longtime military threat of Hezbollah: https://israeled.org/the-ten-leading-challenges-facing-the-new-idf-chief-of-staff
Conclusion
Despite communication gaps and ideological differences, the coordination between Hezbollah and Hamas underscores their shared goal of destroying Israel, which has been on high alert as Hezbollah has kept up attacks since October 8th.